Tag Archives: children’s activities

“She’s just not motivated…” “He could be so good if he was just motivated…” “I can’t motivate her to work…” These are sentiments that I know many (if not all) coaches come up against at some point in their career: the unmotivated athlete. Too often, when a gymnast lacks motivation, the first solution the adults […]

Earlier this week, I was asked to contribute a blog post as part of a series curated by the editors of HuffPost’s The Tackle on the importance of youth sports. Click here to read the post on the HuffPost or the text is below: Parent brawls, coaches who belittle athletes and the kids who are suffering from injuries, […]

Gymnastics is a sport where kids can begin at an early age. But how early? Well, in some cases before they can even read…or walk. You might have a budding gymnast on your hands if… This is how they get into their high chair: And into their crib: As well as out of their crib: If […]

Earlier this week I wrote a blog that included 10 reasons why parents should not watch practice. That said, I do not believe in banning parents from watching practice or even restricting the times where they can observe. While I understand that there are valid reasons to do so, it is a practice that leaves […]

Do you have “those” parents on your child’s team? The ones who react like this when their kid wins the meet? The ones who thinks finding seats for the meet is a competitive sport? And who always coaches from the stands? Who has difficulty waiting for their child’s score to get posted? Not to mention their reaction […]

If a frog is dropped into a pot of boiling water, it will most certainly jump out. However, if a frog is dropped into a pot of cold water that is placed over a burner that slowly heats it to a boil, the frog will remain in the pot, boiling to death. Before you think […]

What if Johnny never learns a cartwheel? Or how about if Janie never masters holding a handstand? Would there still be any value in putting your preschooler in a gymnastics class? Yes, I say. Absolutely, yes. In addition to it being a lot of fun, here are twenty reasons your preschool aged child should do […]

It’s that time of year. Time to sign up your child for new activities. Here are some things to consider before taking the plunge: Who wants to do the sport? You or your child? Is enrolling in this activity going to be more of an enhancement to or more of a stressor in the lives […]

One of the first parent meetings I ever held when I opened JAG Gym, was with a clearly anxious, deeply loving mother who wanted to discuss with me the progress of her daughter who I will call Katie. According to the mother, Katie seemed to love gymnastics and showed natural talent, but was often distracted […]